we call them family
by weasley-twins-41
Summary: Zuko's family is messed up- his father is abusive, his sister is borderline psychopathic, his mother is missing, and he's pretty sure his uncle hates him. Who else does he have? Oneshot. Zuko-centric. Season 3.


**I don't know, okay? I just have a lot of Zuko-family feels.**

**You guys know how I'm watching Avatar again? I've noticed a lot of little things about the series. It really is true how the Gaang turned into a little family. Katara is clearly the mother figure, Toph is the rebellious teen, Aang is the good kid, and Sokka has the leadership qualities every dad should have. But my gosh, these FEELS. Asdfl;kajdl;fkaj I just can't handle them... And plus, think of how that would affect Zuko! He's had a jacked up family. And to feel the love of a family like the Gaang would be life-changing for him. So yeah… rant over. By the way, this is in between "The Southern Raiders" and "The Ember Island Players". **

**Guys, I don't know what this is. It's another crap session, seriously. But the words just vomited themselves out of my brain, ya know? And I apologize if Zuko is OOC to you. **

"_Family isn't about whose blood you have. It's about who you care about." __- Trey Parker and Matt Stone_

"_Sometimes we meet people who are just like us. We get to the point where we love them enough to consider them family. That's what family is about- people who aren't necessarily your blood relatives, but those who love you deeply enough to reciprocate what you feel for them." –me, myself, and I._

_In which Zuko realizes that family isn't always blood._

The silver moon had just risen over Ember Island. The sky was clear, with few clouds, giving anyone a free view of the sparkling stars. The air was warm, and a slight breeze was blowing. The Gaang sat around a little fire in the courtyard, taking advantage of the weather. Their day had been lazy; they had spent it mostly wandering around the island and getting more supplies.

Everyone was finished with their dinner, and sitting mostly in silence, sipping tea that Katara had made. Aang had his knees tucked to his chest, staring into space and in deep thought. Suki's head was on Sokka's chest, and they were talking quietly, speaking about anything. Katara was staring at the stars, her eyes glassy and wide. Toph was picking her toes, not caring that she'd just eaten and that it was hardly sanitary. Zuko was sitting cross legged, only half-meditating and mostly just watching them all.

He wondered how they could stand each other, being together all the time. Zuko had only been with them for a little more than a month, and he had already been annoyed by all of them. But it was an endearing kind of annoyance, and he mostly didn't mind. In fact, in some way, he'd grown to love them.

Love, he thought. It was a word that was constantly taken for granted; blatantly so in his own family. But could he really call Azula and Ozai his family? Of course not. Just two weeks ago, Azula had so obviously stated that she no longer wanted him around, leaving the Western Air Temple in shambles. There was no need to explain for Ozai- Zuko's face alone vouched his "father's" cruelty.

So who really did love him? His mother most certainly did. But when would he ever see her again? Some tiny, nagging part of him always whispered that she was dead. Every time it did he angrily pushed it away, bluntly denying that possibility. So the count was one.

What about his uncle? When Zuko slept at night he would always receive some kind of dream about his uncle's disappointed, betrayed face as the Dai Li trapped him in crystal. Zuko internally kicked himself every time he thought of it, and now was no exception. He was so ashamed of what he'd done. And the betrayal wasn't the beginning; he despised himself for all the insults carelessly flung his uncle's way, the degradations that he'd applied to his father-figure. He was so sure that his uncle hated Zuko for all that Zuko had done. So the count was still one.

Then there was Mai. He really couldn't be sure about her. There had been that tense, angry moment at the Boiling Rock where they'd stared into each other's eyes- hers full of anger and hatred, and his full of regret. But then, in the courtyard, Mai had defied Azula and her nation just to ensure that Zuko got away safely. What had Azula done to Mai? Kept her in the prison? Let her go? Tortured her? Zuko shuddered inwardly at that thought. If Mai was… d… dead, and it was Zuko's fault, he'd never forgive himself. He still highly doubted that Mai loved him. She'd never even said it to him, in their short time together in the Capitol. So the count was STILL one.

Who did that leave? No one. All of his grandparents had presumably idolized Azula, and had shunted their lack of criticism to apply to Zuko. Lu Ten was dead, so his love for Zuko no longer counted. And could he really be sure that this little group appreciated him, let alone loved him? The very thought of everyone trusting him so implicitly that they would put their lives in his hands was preposterous. He didn't even know how to go around asking them. He couldn't exactly say, "Hey Katara, do you trust me with your life?" That would be ridiculous. He had barely gained her trust, and he really didn't want to make her suspicious by asking that.

Plus, there was no reason at all for them to love him. He'd chased them across three continents, hundreds of towns, and through dozens of forests. He was still shocked and pleased that they'd all trusted him so quickly (minus Katara).

Despite all of this, he still felt a lingering sense of inclusion and belonging- feelings that were severely alien. He supposed his uncle had once applied these feelings to him, but when Iroh had, Zuko had been too angry and self-centered to realize it. Ozai certainly had never hinted at giving Zuko these implications, and neither had Azula. Only his mother had, and she was currently out of the picture. Zuko was secretly grateful to this group, and so his mouth was moving before he could register it.

"Hey everyone," he started. He paused, searching for the appropriate words. "I just wanted to thank you. I'm sure you all know that I've had a pretty messed up past. I've always struggled to gain acceptance from people, and they've always denied me that right. But that isn't what I feel with all of you. I don't know if this is intentional, but ever since I've joined you… I don't know… I've felt more… _included. _I guess you all became the friends I was missing." He blushed furiously, a thing that was seriously uncharacteristic for him. "I mean… I just… thank you," he finished lamely.

Everyone stared back at him, surprised, their facial expressions ranging from solemn to smiling. There were a few seconds of tense silence, which Aang broke first. "You're welcome, Zuko." Everyone else scrambled to reply- Toph, Sokka, Suki, then Katara.

"Sure thing, Sparky."

"Yeah."

"You're welcome."

"You know you're part of our family, now, right?"

Zuko reeled back in stunned silence. For Katara, this was a huge step. Just three weeks ago, she had been openly hostile towards him, and now she was accepting him as family? "What?" he asked warily, keeping his emotional walls firmly up.

"You're a part of our family. You've really proven yourself, Zuko," Katara continued, smiling at him. "You know when you meet someone and get to know them so well that you'd trust them with your life?"

Zuko nodded hesitantly. This concept had eventually been applied to every member of the Gaang.

Katara continued on. "Well, when that happens, our little gang calls that person something specific. We call them family."

Zuko was still surprised. How could they possibly want him in their little family? He looked unbelievingly to the other kids, and was astronomically shocked to see them nodding their heads in agreement. No one (besides his mother and uncle) had ever said anything of this nature to him. He wished dearly that they were not playing a trick on them- that would be beyond cruel.

Zuko was deeply touched. A warm feeling spread through his body, and despite it, chills ran up his spine. He realized something vital. The Gaang _did _trust him with their lives. All of them, up to this point, had been placed in his hands in one way or another. In the absence of his biological relatives, each of these amazing kids had become his family, too. Blood really didn't matter. It all depended on who raised you correctly, and loved you enough to consider you their family. Zuko could tell that he'd changed drastically from the confused, scarred boy he'd been only months ago. "Thank you," he managed, his voice oddly distorted. He avoided meeting anyone else's eyes, because his own were burning. He looked pointedly into his cup of tea. Zuko didn't know why this had affected him so greatly, and he was slightly ashamed, but he decided to push his shame away and embrace it. He'd never felt anything like this before.

Something clicked inside him, and all the pieces were in place. Everything made sense. They were his _family-_ people who loved him unconditionally. He smiled. He didn't have his mother or uncle, but these kids compensated for that.

He'd never felt more at home.


End file.
